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hardly have been invented.' Events often necessitated the presence of the Governor-General in other parts of India. The senior member then became President, and carried on the Government, the rule being that all matters of importance should be referred to the Governor-General. Thus, to use Sir H. Maine's language, 'the absence of the Governor-General from the Council dislocated the whole machinery of the Government.' Every important question had to journey backwards and forwards between the Governor-General and his Council before its settlement could be achieved. Thus it resulted 'a great deal of work was done twice over, and a great deal was never done at all.' Such a system worked well enough in early days, when the business of the Governor-General's Council was comparatively small and unimportant; but the developments of Lord Dalhousie's reign and the increased magnitude, intricacy and importance of the current business of the Council rendered its continuance impossible. The legislation of 1861 provided an easy remedy. The Indian Council's Act enabled the Governor-General to make rules for the more convenient transaction of business in his Council and gave validity to all acts done in accordance with such rules. Exercising this power, Lord Canning distributed the work among the various members, and placed each in charge of a separate department in the administration. The Council was thus virtually 'converted into a Cabinet, of which the Governor-General was the head.' The Foreign Office, i.e. the